Polio This Week | GPEI | Most Recent News | Countries
Polio this week

‘Leading to Zero’ – Global Health Matters podcast featuring Jamal Ahmed

‘Leading to Zero’, an episode of the award-winning Global Health Matters podcast series, features Dr Jamal Ahmed, Director for Polio Eradication and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean, speaking about leadership in polio eradication.  The episode explores polio eradication and malaria elimination, focusing on the determination and commitment required to finally end a disease. The podcast addresses questions like: What does it take to lead an effort all the way to zero? How is commitment sustained across decades and changing governments? And what happens the day after certification, when the vector remains and imported cases still arrive?

African health leaders convene for annual Regional Committee

The 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa is meeting this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss urgent health issues affecting the region, including the Ebola outbreak response in DR Congo, responses to other outbreaks, as well as achieving and sustaining a lasting polio-free Africa.

Summary of new polioviruses this week

  • Afghanistan:  18 WPV1-positive environmental samples
  • DR Congo:  five cVDPV2 cases
  • Nigeria:  two cVDPV2 cases
Country updates as of 26 August 2026

More information on the countries that have reported cases and/or environmental samples this week.

  • No WPV1 cases were reported this week. The total number of cases in 2026 is 19 (most recent case: 17 July 2026). The total number of cases in 2025 is 21.
  • 18 WPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week, collected in July, from Hilmand, Kabul, Kandahar, Hirat, Laghman and Nangarhar (most recent positive environmental sample: 27 July 2026).

  • Five cVDPV2 cases were reported this week from Haut Lomami and Tanganyika, with onset of paralysis in May and July 2026 (most recent case: 15 July 2026). The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2026 is 37. The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2025 is seven.
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample: 14 May 2026).
  • No cVDPV1 cases were reported this week. The number of cVDPV1 cases from 2025 is one (onset of paralysis: 25 June 2025).

  • Two cVDPV2 cases were reported this week from Zamfara, with onset of paralysis on 22 July 2026 and 25 July 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2026 is 34. The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2025 is 66. 
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  22 July 2026).
  • No cVDPV3 case was reported this week from Borno. The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2026 is nine (most recent case: 9 July 2026). The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2025 is eight.
  • No cVDPV3-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample: 16 July 2026).